National or convergence specificity? A typology of immigration policy in western Europe

Abstract

This article raises the question as to whether European immigrant policies are shaped by country-specific traditions of building the nation-state or whether, on the contrary, they are converging toward similar policy goals. On the basis of four case studies of 30 years of policy development (United Kingdom, France, Germany, and the Netherlands), the authors develop a broad typology of immigrant policies in Western Europe. This typology shows a convergence in some policy fields, but reveals significant difference in others.